Off and Running!
by Donna Bowers, JD, RHIA

It is already October. The summer vacations are over and the school children have gone back to school. Summer is the time that some people relax a little and slow down more than normal. However, I suppose the hot days of summer take a toll on everyone toward the end of the season. As much as we like the summer, we all look forward to the closing.

The Fall season is a time that I always look forward to the most. Fall is right around the corner. I can feel it in the air and see it in the trees. I can almost touch it. Fall always brings a renewed spirit to me. It is a time to get into new routines for the upcoming year. It is also a time for celebration and family gatherings during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. What a wonderful, wonderful time of the year.

At TxHIMA, we are getting into our new routines and our new roles. We are preparing for the upcoming year. We closed the preceding year with a bang. The annual meeting in June was probably one of our best. The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive. We did have some excellent speakers and the meeting was so well organized. Our hats are off to all those volunteers that worked on the meeting and for all of you who were able to attend. You made the meeting what it was.

TxHIMA's financial position continues to be strong. The fiscal year-end figures indicate that our revenues surpassed our expenses. We strive for a positive financial outcome each year. Even with the money we allocated for the new web-page development and additional money allocated to the executive office in Austin, TxHIMA succeeded. The TxHIMA Board is to be congratulated for their hard work and commitment to the organization and to the membership. I have never seen a group of people take their roles more seriously.

We have started TxHIMA's educational calendar off with a bang as well. Just since June, we have already conducted several educational sessions for the TxHIMA membership with numerous other educational opportunities forthcoming. The Release of Information Series has been a huge success. Each of the programs that have been offered as of to date have far exceeded the expectations set regarding attendance. The feedback from the audiences has been extremely positive. As everyone can see on TxHIMA's web page, several more Release of Information Programs are being offered around the state. At the request of various cities and organizations, we have to add some additional sessions on to the calendar. There are HIPAA presentations coming along with other programs as well. Education is TxHIMA's top priority. Making sure the membership is up-to-date with the latest knowledge is important.

In addition to the educational opportunities offered by TxHIMA, many of board members are going out into the districts and offering assistance with their program. The board members truly enjoy this since they have an opportunity to meet so many people.

If you haven't gone to TxHIMA's new web page, please do. It is state-of-art and we are very proud of what ZMAC Technologies has done for TxHIMA. This was a very positive relationship that was developed. On-line registration is about to be introduced. The acceptance of credit cards is a goal of the organization and it will be rolled out very soon as well. The TxHIMA membership has been asking for this kind of technology for a long time.

Since TxHIMA cancelled the Fall Symposium and House of Delegates meeting in September due to the national tragedy, the Board of Directors has rescheduled the Board of Directors' meeting for early November. There will be a general board meeting, but also a strategic planning meeting. This is a time for the board to set new goals and objectives for the upcoming year and for years to follow. The organization is still on target in meeting goals already established even with the delay.

As you can see, TxHIMA is off and running at a rapid pace this year. We anticipate that we will not slow down any time soon. Our goal is to meet your needs. Your input is critical. Please do not hesitate to give us feedback on how we are doing. Come June of 2002, we may be dragging, but we are planning on having a great meeting in Corpus. Our goal is to do better and better each year.

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